


Compromised

by theshizniiit



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Bruises, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-24
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-22 09:39:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2503187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theshizniiit/pseuds/theshizniiit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: "John thinks Dorian’s been hacked"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Compromised

He wouldn’t have any suspicions if Dorian’s eyes hadn’t turned red just before the DRN punched him right in the face.

Now he’s pretty sure something’s wrong.

And not just because his nose is bleeding, but because right after, Dorian’s eyes switched back to it’s crystal blue and his expression became one fleeting mixture of shock and guilt and shame and a stutter of  _"John, I’m so sorry I-"_  before his eyes turned red again. And then he bolted.

That was two weeks ago.

Two weeks of searching and of worrying what had happened to his partner. Two weeks of barely eating and hardly sleeping. Two weeks of driving around alone, no one to argue about music with and no one to tell him  _'that's too much sugar in that coffee John it's not healthy'._ Two weeks of visualizing every way that John was going to tear the criminal who hacked his partner apart. 

Two weeks of silence.

Of no Dorian.

So when Rudy scurried of up to him with a breathless exclamation of  _'we found him'_ , he drops his coffee immediately and hisses  _'tell me where_ ’, before he’s slamming his car door and tearing out of the precinct parking lot, Richard, Maldonado and 4 MXs speeding behind him and Rudy in the passengers seat.

They end up at a crumbling warehouse at the docks, right at the border of The Wall. John draws his weapon and storms inside, with Rudy right behind him-because he’s as anxious to find Dorian as John is- ready to provide repairs to their friend once they find him.

They find the hacker first. Crouching behind a crate and attempting to use a remote control to sic his small army of compromised MXs on them. John shoots him in the leg before he can do just that, and he grabs the dirty man by the throat.

"Where is he?" the detective yells, punching him in the face and dragging him from behind the crate, out into the open. He’s vaguely aware of Richard, Sandra and the small fleet of MXs behind him, watching his tantrum. He doesn’t care. He has to get Dorian back.

The man screams when Kennex hits him again, and croaks “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

John feels his anger give way into blinding rage-

he kicks him in the ribs, then steps on the man’s other leg, smiling when he hears a sickening crunch of bone and an agony filled scream that tells him that his leg is most certainly broken. Then he snaps a wrist as the man screams and swears at him. He does a startling amount of damage before anyone can stop him.

"John-" Maldonado says.

"My partner. He’s a DRN. His name is Dorian and you fucked with his head." John spits, "Now I’ll ask again, before I start breaking fingers." He snarls "Where. Is. He."

The man's eyes widen and he’s quiet for a about a second too long because the detective decides to make good on his promise. John grabs the man’s hand and twists a finger back. There’s a snap and another scream and Maldonado yelling  _"Stand down Kennex!"_  before the man clutches his hand and screams a hoarse and frantic, _“He’s in the back!”._

With another swift kick in the ribs and a sneered “Thanks.”, John and Rudy--who looked as shaken as ever--make their way to the back of the warehouse.

They find Dorian strapped to a charging pod, in a dirty room with his eyes blacked out.  _'He looks dead'_ John thinks with a faint feeling of sickness nestling in his stomach, before he hears a thud and turns to see Rudy frantically looking through his bag.

"My God." Rudy sighs, looking around the room at the other robots who have been stolen, glancing at the DRN and rummaging around in his bag, and taking out a long metal rod.

"What’s that for?" John says, walking toward Dorian and undoing the straps.

"It’s so that we can reset him if he’s still corrupted." Rudy answers, as John rips off the last strap.

As soon as he throws the straps to the side and reaches for Dorian’s arm, the DRN lights up and his eyes are no longer black.

They’re red.

John notices this a bit too late and Dorian has him on the floor before he can even fully process what’s happening. He is aware of Rudy’s startled yelp and then the next thing he knows, he’s on his back, Dorian on top of him, fist raised and aimed to strike.

"Detective Kennex." He deadpans, and John’s reeling because that voice sounds so…not Dorian. There’s no life in it.

No warmth.

"Dorian-" the detective starts, but the DRN strikes him-hard- and says "I am DRN 0167. Dorian is gone.", in that horrible monotone voice.

The punch dazes him almost as much as Dorian’s lifeless vocals, but he still hears Rudy running up behind the DRN and thrusting the rod into his neck.

Dorian stills, and his eyes turn blue before he looks down at the detective and mutters a quiet “John?” before his eyes black out and he falls.

~

Dorian reboots and wakes up on Rudy’s operating table, with a sharp inhale of breath he doesn’t need and a whirring of his internal processors scanning everything-

Including the detective with the bruised face sitting by his side, and the skinny technician who is on the upstairs level of the warehouse. He turns his head and tests the mechanics of his joints, before his eyes settle on the detective sleeping in the chair next to the table. He takes in his bruised face and the dried blood on his lip and comes to the sickening realization that  _he did that._

_He hurt John._

As if on cue, John stirs and opens his eyes and smirks when he sees Dorian staring at him.

"Enjoying the view?" He says, expecting Dorian to rise to the bait and match his snarkiness.

He doesn’t.

And John notices that the DRN has scooted the the edge of the table farthest from John and is looking at him with an expression of guilt and mild horror.

"Dorian-"

"I’m sorry." Dorian says quietly, eyes wide and fists clenched in his shirt, "Oh god John I’m so sorry. I didn’t-"

John rises from his chair and starts walking toward DRN as he says, ”It’s fine. You didn’t mean to and-“ Dorian throws himself off of the table and flings himself away from John, eyeing him with a frown.

"-why are you moving away from me?" The detective says, trying not to sound hurt. 

Dorian shuffles and takes another slow step back.

"You’re not gonna hurt me, Dorian." John says, walking around the table and right up to the DRN. He grabs Dorian’s wrist as he tries to put distance between them again.

"I could hurt you." Dorian says.

"And I could hurt you. That’s why we trust each other. We trust that we won’t hurt each other even though we  _can_.” John sighs, holding on tighter to the DRN’s wrist.

"But-"

"You were hacked, Dorian." the detective says, "It wasn’t your fault."

The android looks down and John has the strain to hear the quiet mumble of “But it could happen again-“

"And if it does I’ll come and bring you back again." John says sharply, pulling Dorian into a hug,"You can’t get rid of me that easily." The DRN is tense and hesitant in his arms, but John feels him relaxing and leaning into him after a couple of silent moments.

"I’m sorry John." Dorian whispers into his neck.

"Stop it."

"But I am." Dorian says mournfully, "Gonna be sorry for a long time."

"Well, you don’t have to be." John sighs.

"This isn’t how I saw our second anniversary going," Dorian pouts, "This is a disaster."

"Maybe," John chuckles, "But you have to admit it’s fitting." He kisses Dorian softly and whispers “We  _are_ disasters.”

Dorian laughs through his guilt, and John joins him and laughs through his bruises.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm such a sap it's so gross.
> 
> These two losers ruin me.


End file.
